Broadcaster Liz Green to stage fashion show at Halifax Minster to platform Northern designers
Former BBC radio presenter and now Elland boutique owner Liz Green tells Yorkshire Post Fashion Editor Stephanie Smith why she is launching a platform to showcase the talent of northern fashion designers and brands.
As a little girl, Liz Green remembers walking past a mill in Rastrick with her great-grandmother. “I said, ‘What’s that noise?’, and she said, ‘Ah, lass, it’s looms’.” She adds: “I have always had an interest in our textile history.”
It is more than two years since Liz left the BBC - after a hugely successful 32-year career in Leeds and Yorkshire regional radio - and opened her very own French Riviera style-inspired shop, called Caché La Boutique, in Elland.
Now, her appreciation of Yorkshire’s textile legacy, combined with her experiences as a Yorkshire fashion retailer, have prompted her to co-found a project called Up North Runway, which launches next month with two catwalk events.
The big picture, says Liz, is to provide a platform for young and emerging designers, and help connect them with industry (they have been talking with institutions including Leeds Beckett and Liverpool John Moores). “It’s not just about designers on the catwalk; it’s about cutters, tailoring, stitching, marketing,” she says.
“A lot of young people go through college, they do their degree, undergraduate, post-graduate, and they have got to go to London to get an internship with a major designer, and that’s great and a good way to go, but the opportunities for young designers here in the North aren't so great,” she says.
“I thought there ought to be a platform to help encourage them to do that, so we don’t lose them, lose the talent. So I formed Up North Runway with my business partner, Andy Parr.”
Liz and Andy have impressive ambitions for Up North Runway, which, they say “exists to reignite the fashion industry in the North of England - creating opportunities for emerging designers, strengthening local creative networks, and giving Northern fashion the platform it deserves. Through major runway events, mentorship, and collaboration, UNR is driving forward a new era of Northern style, sustainability, and ambition”.
Andy, who describes himself as a digital business development guru, says: “It is about helping the North succeed, set against a £450M funding gap for the Arts, between the North and London. We know the talent is here. We also know they do not have opportunities up here, so migrate South to build a career.”
As well as runway events, there will be digital support and network building, media training; marketing support and PR; online collaboration tools; trade events; web offering to bring the wholesale market together; and education support to improve the business skills of graduates.
UNR’s first event is the Emerging Designers Show on November 5 at Halifax Minster, featuring the launch of Dorothy & Rose, the debut collection by radio and TV personality Rosie Madison, known for presenting on BBC Radio One, The Pulse, Hits Radio, and as part of the Gladiators TV series.
It will offer dresses inspired by Rosie’s own experience of struggling to find clothes that made her feel special and that fit and suited her 6ft 2in frame. “Fashion is about expression, and this collection is all about confidence and belonging,” Rosie says.
The collection, which includes dresses, tops and tees, is hand-made by seamstresses in Yorkshire, and hand-embroidered using graphics designed by Rosie, taken from her own paintings.
The show will also champion the bold creativity of Dean Wiltshire’s DWILTS Clothing, launched in 2019 with T-shirts and hoodies, expanding into gym wear, polo shirts and more.
There will be a new collection from Kirk Fashion, a brand that reworks military garments. It was founded by Dr Richard Kirk, who went to the University of Huddersfield, and now lives in Harrogate.
He launched his first collection in the autumn of 2024, influenced by his involvement with historical re-enactments. He takes surplus military uniforms and reimagines them into high-end fashion pieces. “I want to take items of clothing that were made for the ugly and destructive purpose of war and make them into something beautiful and constructive to our society,” he says,
There will also be sustainable bridalwear from From Above Bridal, and French-inspired style from Cache La Boutique. Liz Green will MC the event. There will be a team of professional models for both events, organised by Bernadette Gledhill, and featuring her colleagues from Primed for Life (formerly Find Your Midlife Magic).
The Black & White Fashion Ball takes place on November 8 at Bertie’s in Elland, featuring established brands and designers including Scarborough’s Isabelle Randall, Sheffield-based Kay Heeley of Angel Couture, showcasing a fabulous Poppy Dress for Remembrance; Rita Britton’s Barnsley-based Pollyanna; Antich Fine English Tailors; Leeds-based multi-platform retailer Joe Browns; Harveys of Halifax; and a design from Zandra Rhodes.
“What I wanted was people who are achieving in Yorkshire. I’m going to take it to Manchester and other Northern areas in the future,” says Liz. “I think this is a bit different and a bit special.”
Andy and Liz say: “The North has always had style. From Huddersfield’s world-renowned cloth to the new generation of visionaries refusing to follow the London pull, this is our moment to stand tall.”
Up North Runway Emerging Designer Show is on November 5, doors 6.30pm, at Halifax Minster, tickets £7.95. The Black & White Fashion Ball is on November 8 at Bertie’s, Elland, from 6pm, tickets £79.
See upnorthrunway.com